It’s not
easy to find good Mexican food in the Philippines. Most Mexican cuisine has
been modified for local tastes, making it bland, ketchupy and sweet. Real
Mexican food is none of those things.
Zapata’s, on perimeter road near Friendship
gate (look for the Screaming Eagle bar sign next door) is a cut above the rest.
Its food doesn’t stand up to the great Mexican food found in the United States
and Mexico, but it is outstanding for the Philippines.
The ambiance is right on target. Bright, comfortable and great, intricate
decorations. The service is very good and the food presentation is excellent:
the food looks great on the plate!
The dishes
are not ketchupy or sweet. It is good solid Mexican fare and very reasonable
prices. And after you eat there, you feel like you are supposed to feel after a
Mexican meal: like you ate a brick and have been hit by a tranquilizer dart.
The food is
bland, but that is understandable. Most people in the Philippines don’t eat
spicy food. One huge blunder by management is that they have NO SPICY OPTION AT
ALL. They have two sauces available: mild and very mild. The only peppers
they have to offer are the sweet, pickled jalapenos, none of the spicy ones.
That said,
Zapata’s is still one of the best Mexican restaurants – if not the best – in
the country. Just bring your own hot sauce!
Zapata's is Tex-Mex, not bad but not really Mexican food. The best Mexican food in the areas served by this fine blog is Orale in Fort Strip in Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila. Great carnitas and barbacoa, very good chicken and fish, and decent carne asada. They make their own tortillas and have a growing selection of Mexican beers. But best of all, the place is relaxed -- not too fancy or too pricey, with a nice selection of salsas. Good burritos, real tacos (soft on a fresh tortilla like they are in Mexico, not crispy on a deep-fried shell like in Texas or Taco Bell) and good beans (refried pintos or black). They don't do too many things -- burritos, tacos, quesadillas, meat with rice and beans etc -- but that's a good thing. Simple and pretty healthy choices. In fact, I think the only thing they deep fry are the churros. Provecho!
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